


Gods Damn It

by sunflowersweetener



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Cussing, Dumbass teenagers, ITS NOT THAT BAD I SWEAR, M/M, ares kid keith, athena kid allura, athena kid pidge, coran coran my favorite man, cursing, demeter kid hunk, mars kid shiro, no nsfw but maybe mention of it, warning for typical battle gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-14 22:21:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17516900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflowersweetener/pseuds/sunflowersweetener
Summary: meet the idiotsLance: doesn't know what tf he's doing. winging life rnHunk: the cinnamon roll that could kill you if he wanted, but he really would prefer not to pleasePidge: preventing the premature death of her two fellow underage runawaysShiro: 110% done.Allura:111.9% done with these kids and their bullCoran: Everybody's weird uncle.Keith: hashtag socially struggling. Just wants to ride off into the sunset with his sword





	1. Grand Entrances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> meet the idiots  
> Lance: doesn't know what tf he's doing. winging life rn  
> Hunk: the cinnamon roll that could kill you if he wanted, but he really would prefer not to please  
> Pidge: preventing the premature death of her two fellow underage runaways  
> Shiro: 110% done.  
> Allura:111.9% done with these kids and their bull  
> Coran: Everybody's weird uncle.  
> Keith: hashtag socially struggling. Just wants to ride off into the sunset with his sword

Blood pounded in his ears as he drove his feet into the terrain. He could feel the blunt force as the ground fought with his bones.

He hated this. Dealing with this everyday, trying to keep Pidge, Hunk, and himself safe. Safe from the stupid monsters and their weird eating habits.

Lance stopped to turn and nock an arrow at one of the two women following them along with their local giant. Well, not local anymore since they’ve been following since New Jersey.

“Pidge, Hunk, run!” Lance encouraged his friends but it did little.

They figured they should run anyway without him telling them. “Lance if we make it through this I’m going to kill you!” Pidge shouted.

“No fair!” Blondie yelled. “I called dibs!”

The trio had renamed one of the empousa as Blondie. Skipping formalities because hey, they’re most likely gonna die anyway.

“I hate dibs.” Hunk complained.

Lance groaned. “Guys this isn’t the time!” He sucked in a harsh breath that scratched his airways, all the running was wearing down on him and no doubt on his friends too.

With a loud thump the ground shook. Lance swore he saw birds fly out of a tree ahead. “I want the smelly one!” The giant whined.

“Who Lance?” Pidge asked. “You can have him!”

Lance was about to cuss her out but decided better on it for the fact they are  _ still running for their lives atm. _

“Gremlin,” he settled with a muffled huff.

That damn daughter of Athena sure could be frustrating.

At least the other third of their group, a son of Hephaestus, wasn’t as aggravating.

Lance couldn’t say what he was. His parents never talked about it.

But if they could just reach the safe haven he heard about from that girl with the silver bow and circlet maybe he could find some sort of solace.

“Lance! Oh my gods! I see it! The strawberry fields the girl talked about!” Hunk laughed.

Lance left his internal monologue (hah, ADHD’s a bitch) and looked up to take it in. He let out a relieved laugh. It was right there, like a beacon.

“Oh no you don’t!” Shorty shouted.

Shorty is what they named the second vampire woman. Lance guessed she didn’t appreciate it that much considering something wrapped around Lance’s foot and he fell to the ground.

He cussed.

Sue him.

Lance took out his bow to fire another arrow before she knocked it out of his hands and pinned him by the wrists.

She smiled and dragged a clawed finger in an almost heart shape under his eye.

He squealed.

Like a girl.

Sue him.

“Lance!” Hunk and Pidge shouted from yards away.

Lance tried to turn to them, “Go! Get out of here!”

Blondie laughed and drew a matching mark under his other eye. “Listen to your friend, daughter of Athena. Don’t be stupid.”

Pidge growled. “Hunk, go get help.” She materialized her bayard. “I’ll keep them busy.”

Lance went to protest but was drowned out by the giant making small tremors from his jumps of excitement. “Hear that? We get the two smelly ones!”

Lance groaned at his antics before turning to the girls. “Ladies,” he accidentally let a nervous laugh escape. “I’m sure we got off on the wrong foot here. I’m sorry to inform you that there’s just not enough of the lover boy Lance to go around.”

Shorty held his left side captive, and Blondie his right. “I think that there’s plenty.” Shorty said and Blondie flaunted her fangs for emphasis, in agreement.

As they moved closer he just nervously laughed and rambled, “I mean I’d be honored,” he squirmed. “But I just dont think I’m ready to give up my cards you know? So if you two would just release me I think we could be going on our ways.”

“But you smell so good.” Blondie purred, getting closer to his neck.

He paused, “Really?”

“Lance!” Pidge chastised.

Lance blushed and then bucked around, “Oh yeah, escape attempt time.”

The girls only lessened their hold on him slightly.

“Tiny?” Shorty said.

“Yes?” The giant asked.

“Here, you can have him. I think we are gonna get a bite of that Athena spawn.”

The giant licked his lips and lifted Lance from his midsection. “Mmm, demigod.”

Lance panicked while being picked up, now a solid five feet off of the ground. “Oh hell no!”

He looked over to Pidge, slowly being cornered. Her bayard drawn in desperation, swinging back and forth between her targets.

Lance felt a cool feeling in his chest and yelled out a warning before one of the women could take a swipe at Pidge. “ _ Stop!” _

To Lance’s surprise, everyone  _ listened _ .

Blondie was halfway in her swipe, frozen. Shorty was paused in her steps. Even Pidge! She was frozen in the moment, shock drawn on her face.

_ Whelp. That’s freaky. _

Out of curiosity he looked back at his giant captor, also stuck in place. But what was weird was the glaze cast over his eyes. Like a glitch in a video game.

“Uhh,” He looked back and forth behind him at the giant and at the almost fight in front of him.

Lance felt another tug in his chest. It was like he was being urged to do something,  _ say something. _

“ _ Drop what you’re holding.” _ He commanded, testing his theory.

Lucky for him, his theory was correct, and Pidge dropped her bayard. Unlucky for him, his theory was correct, and he plummeted the five feet from the giant’s grasp with a very  _ many yell thank you very much. _

He went to stand up and had instant regret as pain rocketed up his body. Yeah, that’s a broken rib for sure. “ _ Oh fuck me!” _

Everyone started to move towards him and it took him a second before he realized his mistake and quickly corrected it. “ _ STOP!” _

Lance let out a sigh of relief.

He turned to the empousa. “ _ Walk away from Pidge and the camp.” _

The two monsters with the glaze in their eyes turned and started out towards the woods, presumably away from camp.

Lance let out another breath in relief. “Thank the gods.”

Of course, because being a demigod is never as simple as it appears, his peace was only temporary.

“What happened?” The giant grumbled.

Lance took note of how he no longer had that weird glaze cast over his eyes. “Shit.”

“Lance move!” Pidge shouted.

The giant moved to pick him back up but he rolled out of the way in time.

“Pidge we kinda have a situation with my ribs right now so good luck with him.”

“God damn it Lance!” She made one swing at the giant. “I’m unavailable for  _ one second! _ ” Another swing. “And you,”  _ swing,  _ “manage to screw everything up!”

“Sorry Gremlin.”

While Lance was scrambling to put distance between himself and the local unfriendly giant he felt a wave of exhaustion come over him.

_ Curse these godly powers, it would be nice if I could use them without passing out shortly after. _

He shivered, the pain and tiredness making him go cold. Or maybe that was his injuries. He could never tell the difference.

“For the love of the gods, where is Hunk?” Pidge yelled after making the monster faceplant with her bayard that was in it’s grappling hook form, the string winded around the giant.

“I don’t know! “Lance answered her rhetorical question. “You’re the brains of this operation!”

The giant let out a bestial yell at his predicament but Pidge’s indignant yell was louder. “Oh really asshole?!”

There was some rustling to the sides of them, like people were coming from the trees.

A woman, like a goddess emerged from the tree-line. A high ponytail held back her silver hair, and Lance could make out two pink marks on her cheekbones, underneath her kaleidoscope eyes.

_ Daamn, she a daughter of Aphrodite? _

She smirked at Lance and turned to Pidge, “Need a hand?” She cracked her whip.

Pidge spoke in the middle of retracting her grappling hook. “Duh.”

“Come on campers!” The woman yelled.

Nothing could have prepared Lance for what happened. And what happened was at least thirty kids storming out of the forestry screaming in a battle cry.

They all looked different but wore the same orange T-shirt that Lance was having trouble reading at the moment because of them running around like idiots.

The giant, unfortunately, was not deterred and kept going full force at the people. With a cry he picked up a rock and was about to chuck it at this one guy with fair skin and a black mullet.

The kid wasn’t taking notice of it soon enough. Lance knew if he didn’t intervene the kid would be dead in six seconds.

He felt that coolness in his chest and screamed out, “No,  _ stop!” _

Everyone stopped what they were doing like it were freeze tag.

Lance continued, “ _ Throw that rock somewhere else! _ ”

Now while Lance’s powers worked, he needed practice at it. He quickly learned this (the hard way) when the giant followed his order by throwing the rock into the tree at Lance’s right, where it broke into millions of pieces on impact.

He barely got out a scream before a large bit of debris hit him on the head and knocked him out, black swirls taking over.

Everyone snapped out of their trance when Lance went out of commission. And for the most part, they were aware of what was happening since Lance’s influence was spread thinner across them. Which left them standing there confused and terrified.

“Campers!” The silver haired woman yelled. “Back to battle! Protect the new kid!”

That worked as they turned their attention back to the giant who was starting to become lethargic  from all the stab wounds.

Pidge looked over to her friend in horror. She had first suspected the kid was a child of Apollo. He was a really good archer and even seemed to have healing abilities or know-how. Then she saw how at a particularly rough fight in Virginia inside a gas station the Slurpee machine and soda fountain broke when he was struck by the monster’s claw. That would be worse than being a child of Apollo, a child of Poseidon. And now, charmspeak. Was he a child of Aphrodite?

_ Annoying and complicated, _ she decided,  _ he sure as hell is that at least! _

While distracted in thought the giant moved to swat her.

“Move!” a guy yelled.

She had barely a second before some guy pushed her down, out of the way. He had long black hair and pale skin with a few currently bleeding scratches on them, but according to the other scars on his arms she doubted he cared.

“Thanks,” she muttered and pushed him off of her.

The rude kid just rolled his eyes and went back to the fight, sword blazing. 

_ Dumbass Ares kids. _

She looked up and saw The silver haired woman deliver a final blow, her whip slicing the monster’s head off until it fell and splashed in yellow powder on the ground.

So now Pidge was left with a bunch of exhausted teenagers with orange shirts… all turned to stare at her in her green shirt.

“What?” She pushed up her glasses from still being on the ground.

The girl with the silver hair smiled and moved forward. “Hello, I’m Allura.” She stuck out her hand to help Pidge up. “Welcome to Camp Half Blood.”

Pidge eyed the hand before taking it and being yanked up hard, making her feel like her arm was dislocated. She rubbed and rolled the joint. “Pidge. I’m guessing you met Hunk.” She looked over at Lance. “That imbecile is Lance.”

Allura kept her smile and wiped her brow. “Nice to meet you Pidge, we can keep taking once we’ve gone back into the camp’s protective barrier.”

Pidge subconsciously crossed her arms but nodded in agreement.

Allura jerked her head, “Apollo campers!”

A few kids stepped forward. One blonde freckled kid stuck up a hand to Allura, “Yup, got it. We know the drill. We’ll get the new kid. Go do your diplomacy stuff!”

The kid smirked and walked off and Allura looked like she wanted to smack the kid sooo bad. It brought a smile to Pidge’s face.

“Would the rest of the campers go do whatever they were doing before. Don’t forget your chores.”

Cue groans.

Rather reluctantly the kids dragged their feet as they made their way back to camp.

“Pidge, if you would just follow me I can show you into CHB.” Allura said. “We can talk once we’re in the big house about what brings you here and go from there.”

Pidge nodded as they made their way past the strawberry fields. “So why was Hunk unable to come back and help?” She asked.

“Well Shay from the Demeter cabin came up to me and told me that your friend showed up pleading for help and she told him she’d get it if he went to the Apollo cabin for treatment. He had a pretty bad ankle I heard.”

“Yeah,” Pidge confirmed. “We fought a hydra I think back in Pennsylvania. He messed up his ankle then.”

Allura hummed thoughtfully.

“Well how about you? Do you need medical attention? We can postpone our talk a bit if that’s the case.”

“Nah,” Pidge shrugged. “I got off pretty easy with a few scratches. Lance and Hunk are always the ones getting hurt in a battle.”

“That’s good to hear then that you are in good condition.” Allura said.

They kept walking as Pidge’s eyes scanned her surroundings. The camp. To her left was a forge, armory, stables, and arena. To her right was what she would assume is the big house Allura mentioned. But beyond that Pidge could make out the cluster of cabins, lake, and a building that read “Arts and Crafts Center” in Greek.

“If you just follow me this way to the big house we can meet up with Shiro and Coran and discuss where to go from here.” Allura motioned with her hand towards the blue house that Pidge had correctly suspected was the big house.

They went up the steps onto the wrap-around porch and Allura held the door open for her.

_ Well, here goes nothing,  _ Pidge thought as she entered.

Allura led her to an office-eske room and motioned for Pidge to sit down in one of the chairs conveniently placed in front of her desk.

Pidge took the invitation and sat down. “So where’s this Coran and Shiro guy?”

“Oh I’m sure they’ll be in in a minute,” Allura reassured, clasping her hands together and settling them on the desk. “Now tell me Pidge, do you know who your godly parent is? Or perhaps your friends’ parents?”

Pidge leaned back in her seat and readjusted her glasses. “Well I’m a daughter of Athena and Hunk is a son of Hephaestus. Lance we don’t really know but it’s safe to say he’s a son of a bitch.”

Allura’s eyes popped at Pidge’s insult but she didn’t mention it. “Well that’s good to hear. Keeps two kids out of Hermes cabin. And I get to have you in my cabin, as a fellow daughter of Athena.”

_ This girl is trying way too hard to be liked. _

Pidge just shrugged as two figures came in from the door behind her.

“Sorry we’re late, had an issue with the lava wall.” A man says in a cheery voice.

Pidge turns behind to where the voice came from, and it’s a tall ginger with a large mustache. He seems to be a satyr or a centaur from the goat legs (also ginger).

“Yeah it was a kid from the Ares cabin. Not Keith this time.” A second man clarified.

This man was tall and buff. An Asian with a shock of white hair in the front. Oh and he had a prosthetic. That’s something to take note of.

“Shiro, Coran, please take a seat.” Allura offered. “Let me introduce one of our three new campers, Pidge, daughter of Athena.”

Pidge waved. “Sup,” she popped her ‘p’.

“Her and her friends showed up maybe an hour ago by the strawberry fields in a dilemma with some sort of giant.”

“Oh and there were two empousa.” Pidge added. “I think they kinda just left though. They were there one minute about to scratch me and then were gone.”

“I would suspect that your friend Lance charmspoke and made them go away but you were also caught in the spell.” Allura said. “I would think he’s a child of Aphrodite because of that…” She paused and gulped, “ _ ability.” _

“Holy crow! We haven’t had a camper with charmspeak in nearly 50 years!” exclaimed Coran, now leaning forward in his seat and engaged.

“Yeah it’s pretty rare that she’ll bestow that power on her children.” Shiro confirmed.

“I don’t think Lance is a child of Aphrodite though.” 

The ‘adults’ turned to her. To them it seemed pretty obvious what his parentage was.

“Look, I’ve been on the run with Lance for almost a year now and while he does have some oddly good persuasive powers there’s other traits that point in another direction.” Pidge explained. “Well, actually two other directions.”

“Could you detail us more?” Allura asked.

“Well he’s abnormally good with a bow which would be a trait of Apollo kids. But his bow broke on the way to camp when the giant stepped on it. And then there was the 7/11 incident..” 

Pidge was about to continue when that kid from earlier with the freckles burst through the office door.

“Sam!” Allura scolded. “You know you can’t burst in here during private meetings!”

“But that kid just woke up and it’s really freaky, you have to come see him or else he’s gonna leave and come see you!” He explained. “He’s refusing to follow the bedrest rule!”

Allura groaned. “Fine, we’re on our way.” She flicked her hand, “Shoo.”

The kid smiled brightly and went to leave.

Shiro stiffened. “Sam! Don’t-”

SLAM!

“-slam the door.” Shiro finished with a groan from being blatantly ignored. “Will he ever learn.”

“Probably not.”

Coran jumped up. “Oh well, it’s time to go see the kid!” He made his way out the door.

They were on their way to the infirmary when Pidge finally built up the nerve to ask what she’s been dying to know since the start of her journey. “Is there by any chance a Matthew Holt here?”

Shiro looked down to her with a raised eyebrow, “Why?”

Pidge had to force down her defensiveness. “He’s my brother,” she grit out.

Shiro’s face filled with shock. “Oh. Well I guess he did mention you. Do you both have the same parentages?”

“Yeah, Sam Holt and Athena but we also both have our mom Colleen Holt, even if not related by blood.” 

Her conviction left no room for disagreement. She always considered her mom more of a mom than  _ Athena.  _ Of course she isn’t an idiot and would never say that to the goddess. Well, her face at least.

“So where is that asshole?” She asked. “You obviously know who I’m talking about so fess up.”

Shiro scratched the back of his neck.  _ Oh brother, a sign of nervousness, this isn’t good. _ “Well I can’t say much because it’s kinda classified but lets say he’s on a quest right now. Nothing to worry about, it’s just diplomatic but he’ll be back actually in a week or two.”

Well at least he isn’t dead. She’s still going to scold him for running off a year ago, yeah he’s not getting out of that. But this isn’t the worst thing in the world.

“I guess I’m stuck here for a week or two then,” She gave Shiro a small smile and he returned it easily.

“Good. He’ll be so happy to see you.”

They finally made it to the infirmary, which was an extension of the Apollo cabin of sorts.

Pidge could hear her idiot friends inside already. 

“Hunk, we need to go find the Gremlin!” That was Lance.  _ Check. _

“Dude chill, my ankle isn’t back to full health and your rib sure isn’t either. Plus you definitely got a concussion.” That was Hunk.  _ Check. _

“No!” Lance whined, “I refuse to be held captive by a bunch of kids!”

She walked in to Hunk groaning and holding Lance down to the bed. She couldn’t help her snort.

Lance caught her eyes. “Oh, hey Pidgey.” He settled into the bed and Hunk seemed to be thanking the gods. “What brings you here?”

“You dumbass.” She said shaking her head.

His shoulders closed in on him. “Oh.” 

He went to scratch at a blue band-aid under his left eye, but was stopped by the freckled Apollo kid, Sam, from earlier.

“Dude, you can’t scratch your cuts or they’ll scar up worse!”

“I know, but these are really uncomfortable!” He flopped back in bed dramatically.

The kid’s eye twitched and Pidge would have felt for him if she hadn’t already had to put up with Lance’s antics for a year.

Allura stepped in. “Do you mind me asking about those two wounds under your eyes?” She touched a light pink scar under her own eye that Pidge was only now taking note of. “I believe we may have had run-ins with the same monster.”

Pidge didn’t miss the flash of sadness and maybe remembrance across Allura’s face.

“I mean there’s not much to tell. “ Lance shrugged. “She pinned me down and decided to carve the markings underneath my eyes. Wasn’t exactly the best experience of my life.” He then took up a bit of sincerity. “I’m sorry that you endured that.”

Allura waved a hand dismissively. “It’s the past.” She moved to sit down in a chair at the end of the bed. “What we need to talk about is the future.”

Pidge took her cue and sat down on the edge of Lance’s bed with Hunk while Shiro and Coran remained standing.

Shiro turned to the Apollo kid that was sanitizing something in the corner. “We’d like some privacy, so if you will Sam.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, yeah, you’re kicking me out. I get it Shiro. Let me know when you’re done so I can give them their second doses of ambrosia and nectar.”

Sam went over and was halfway out the door when Shiro stiffened, “Sam dont-”

SLAM

“-slam the door.”

Pidge cackled. Everyone looked at her as she wiped a tear away. “Alright, just start the conversation, I’m good.”

Allura snapped back into action. “Well, welcome to Camp Half-Blood demigods. This is a safe haven for kids like us with godly parentage from the monsters that lurk outside the camp’s protective barriers.”

_ Is this just like a memorized introduction? Wow. _

“Coran here is the camp director. Shiro and I are also directors but we deal with more minusha and with the kids so if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask the two of us. We will be plenty glad to answer.”

“Got it,” Lance clucked.

Allura smiled.

_ Doesn’t she get tired of doing that? _

“I’d talked with Pidge earlier and she was able to inform me of her and Hunk’s parentages so they will be allowed to sleep in their proper cabins with their half-siblings. However with you Lance, you’ll be staying in the Hermes cabin until you’re claimed.”

“Oh no!” Lance whined. He grasped Hunk’s arm. “They’re splitting up the trio! How will I survive?” He fake fainted.

Hunk shook his head and laughed. “I’m sure you’ll find a way buddy.” He gave Lance a sympathetic pat on the knee.

“It’s not that bad.” Shiro reassured. “Lance you’ll still be able to hang out with your friends during the day unless you’re split up by cabin for an activity.”

Lance pouted at first but then gave up with a shrug. “It’s cool.”

“Alright, now some of the more personal stuff.” Allura continued. “If you don’t feel comfortable giving me the full story it’s okay but I’d like to know how your journey here developed.” She bit her lip. “At least the basics or main points.”

Hunk twiddled his thumbs but went first without prompting. “Well I was the last one to join. I came home from school one day and my mom told me we were going to go for a drive somewhere. I figured we were just going to the grocery store or something until I noticed we still hadn’t stopped after thirty minutes. I asked her what was going on and she explained that my dad was a god and she needed to take me somewhere so I would be safe. After an hour or two we stopped by a gas station and while she went in the store I was attacked and the monster had led me away from my mom. So I was lost, fighting a monster until they showed up and killed the monster. We all mentioned that we were going to a ‘safe haven’ and it clicked. “ He paused for a laugh. “I mean we were obviously going to the same place so we just stuck together.”

“How long ago was that?” Coran asked.

“Maybe six months ago,” He answered. “It took us a while to locate the camp until this one girl with a silver bow and circlet tipped us off.”

Allura’s brows furrowed and she put a hand to her chin, a finger on her lips. 

“A penny for your thoughts, Princess?” Coran asked while twirling his moustache, seemingly in thought himself.

“We haven’t heard from the hunters in a long time but this is good news.” she paused. “It lets us know that they’re at least alive.”

Shiro nodded in agreement. Then he turned to Hunk. “Thank you for trusting us with your story.”

Hunk smiled. “No problem!”

An awkward minute of silence passed before Pidge sighed. “I guess it’s my turn.”

The others looked to her, giving full attention.

She shifted and fixed her glasses. “Well my bio mom is Athena but I’ve lived with my dad and other mom until about a year ago. I have a brother too, who has the same bio parents as me, Matt. He left maybe two years ago to come here but nobody told me why. I got fed up and wanted to see my brother so I ran away to find him after I’d figured out he came here. I was just outside D.C. in a confrontation with a monster when Lance showed up and shot an arrow at it and turned it to powder. We talked and, like with Hunk, realized we had the same destination and it would be safer to travel together. After six months we met Hunk and eventually from the tip we were able to end up here.”

She shrugged for nonchalance.

They only needed to know the facts. Not that Lance was the best fighter. Not that Hunk made the food, and she kept the fires. Not that she attached herself to Lance because he was like her brother. Not the guilt she had felt since leaving and how she was now going to write back to her mom to assure her she’s safe.

“Thank you Pidge.” Shiro said.

“Whatever.”

Just then the door burst open.

“This better be good Sam!” Allura yelled.

Sam rolled his eyes, “Oh I’m sorry for doing my job.”

Sam pulled someone into the room. Their arm had a deep cut.

“Someone’s brother just had to be an idiot.” Sam gave Shiro a pointed glance which Shiro looked away from.

“It’s not that bad.” The kid assured.

Sam directed the kid to a bed. “Sure, but you’re getting blood on my floors.”

The kid huffed but relented and sat down, blowing his black fringe out of the way.

Pidge looked down at his wound. He held his hand over the cut to prevent the bleeding but the blood still came out strong and dripped from his fingertips.

“I think I’m gonna lie down now,” THUMP

Pidge looked over to Lance who was now knocked out cold on the hospital bed.

“Well that’s interesting.” She commented.

Hunk was doing everything in his power to look away. She knew he would throw up if he looked any longer. He had already lost his food a lot during the six months from helping with any injury really. He couldn’t stomach it.

“Keith!” Shiro put a hand on his hips. “What did you do now?”

Keith shrugged. “It was nothing really, just got into a scuffle with my siblings.”

“A scuffle?!” Shiro exclaimed. “Keith, you look like you’re going to lose an arm!”

Sam made it back with the medical supplies, dumping them on the cot next to Keith. “He won’t lose an arm but he’ll need a good dose of ambrosia and stitches.”

Keith scowled at Sam but Sam just shrugged like  _ dude, it’s your own damn fault, don’t blame me dude.  _ Sam then turned around to grab something from the bedside table between Lance and Keith’s cots. But the clumsy son of Apollo accidentally made the water that was there on the table fly at Lance who until that moment was KO-ed.

Before anyone could yell out a warning, Lance popped up and had his hands held out in front of him. And all of the attention was on him when the water was suspended in the air before him.

Everyone’s reactions were priceless.

Allura gripping the arms of her chair ready to run. Shiro ramrod straight in his chair with an eye twitching. Coran dropped his clipboard. Sam kept blinking, like he thought he was asleep and trying to wake up. Keith scrambled back and fell off the opposite side of the bed.

The only people without reaction were Pidge and Hunk, who have seen him do this before… manipulate water.

“Oh shit,” Lance worried and looked around him. “Where’d the glass go? Can’t have the gremlin or cinnamon roll stepping on broken glass.” He kept his left hand controlling the water but used the other one to scratch his head. He picked up a pillow and his face brightened with his discovery of the glass. “There it is!” He moved the water back into the glass and sat it on the counter as everyone (exude Pidge and Hunk) just stared with wide eyes. He gave it a final satisfied look before turning to the rest of his company. “‘Sup?”

“What the fuck?” Yelled Keith from his tense, guarded position behind the cot.

That broke the spell as Shiro threw in a “ _ language, Keith… _ ” at his outburst.

“Lance,” Allura spoke softly, but her position was still tense, defensive. “I thought you were a son of Aphrodite… you can charmspeak.”

Pidge rolled her eyes but kept to herself. This is what she tried to warn Allura of earlier.

Hunk became interested. “Oh is that what it’s called when Lance does that thing with his voice where he becomes really, like, persuasive?”

Coran picked his clipboard back up. “Charmspeak isn’t just persuasive. It bends the will of the listener. It gives the person with the ability complete control over them as if they were a puppet or robot.”

“Cool.” Lance commented with a small smile, not really knowing why everyone was so concerned. The severity of his situation.

Keith stood and waved his arms around gaining attention. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” He narrowed his eyes at Lance, “you can  _ Charmspeak _ ?”

Lance shrugged.

That just seemed to enrage Keith more. Typical Ares kid.

Pidge figured she may as well just put out all the facts. She stood up and pushed up her glasses and for a moment the glare made it impossible to see her eyes. “We don’t know who Lance’s parent is because he had the ability to charmspeak and manipulate water. Traits of Aphrodite and Poseidon kids. However there is also a concern with the fact that he is a really good archer and has musical talent which is a trait of Apollo’s offspring.” She pauses to bite her cheek. “And none of the monsters we’ve encountered have been able to scent him for a parent like they have with Hunk and I.”

Poor Shiro put his head in his hands. “Jesus Christ…”

Without missing a beat Coran commented. “He’s not all he’s jacked up to be. Was actually kind of a brat-”

“-Back to the point at hand!” Allura shouted.

Everyone gave her a  _ u okay? _ look at her outburst. To which she didn’t acknowledge.

Lance leaned back in the cot and crossed his arms, unfazed by this whole conversation. “Look we can discuss it later but isn’t Keith’s arm bleeding out?”

Sam jumped like he’d been shocked by Zeus himself. “Oh shit! That’s right. Keith, If you’d please come back over.” He make a beckoning motion.

Keith came around slowly but he kept an eye on Lance. He didn’t know if he should be scared or just shocked with the kid. “Yeah okay.”

Hunk laughed. “He won’t bite Keith.” He paused while a memory popped up. He put a finger to his lips, “Well…”

Keith tensed and Shiro caught it. “Alright,” he stood up, “how about we just let this go right now and focus on accommodating you three to camp. You three must be exhausted. Feel free to hang out for the half hour before dinner in the mess hall. After that you guys can go to bed early.” He turned to Hunk and Pidge. “Feel free to spend the night in your parent’s cabins.” He turned to Lance. “Normally we have new campers stay in the Hermes cabin until claiming, but because of that battle earlier you can come back in here to stay the night.”

“Does that work for everyone?” Allura asked while standing up, readying herself to leave.

The trio nodded.

“Splendid. I’ll be seeing you later.”

And with that the adults left the room leaving Pidge, Lance, Hunk, Sam, and a now patched up Keith in the infirmary.

“Well at least  _ they’re  _ gone now.” Sam said.

A minute of silence passed before Hunk whispered in disbelief, “We made it to the safe haven…”

“Well yeah Hunk.” Pidge said with a raised brow, sort of concerned where her friend’s head was at.

“I know buddy. Your six months, Pidge’s year, and my two years on the run are  _ over _ !” Lance joined Hunk with a wistful gleam in his eyes, like he was seeing something that no one else could.

Keith was confused and frustrated because he was confused. “You spent two years on the run?” He asked Lance, eyebrows drawn tight like he was solving a math problem with an extra variable.

“Well yeah,” Lance scoffed. “It takes a long time to get here from Cuba.”

Pidge, for once, was shocked with his statement. While on the run together Lance never talked about his past, preferring to help the others indulge in theirs. He’s from Cuba? How did he travel up the entirety of the east coast alone?

While Pidge asked herself questions, Keith was direct and just asked Lance straight out. “How were you able to make it here from Cuba? I didn’t even think there were any living demigods down there!”

Lance made a scandalized gasp and if he were a 50s housewife he would be clutching his pearls. “There were actually plenty of demigods down there!”

“ _ Were?”  _ Sam asked.

Lance’s face became ashen as all the blood in his body ran away screaming. He took a moment and then folded in on himself, sinking back into the wiry cot. “Yeah.”

Hunk noticed the discomfort and put his hand on Lance’s arm. “Hey um, why don’t we go and um…” Hunk searches his brain for an excuse to leave. “Gift shop!” He shouted suddenly. With everyone’s startled faces he coughed into his hand and then lowered his voice to a more reasonable tone. “We should go get some new clothes and it closes before dinner. So unless you want to be stuck in that dirty outfit we should go.”

Lance just raised an eyebrow, skeptically. “Okay… if it’s really that im-“

“Yes it is!” Hunk interrupted and grabbed Lance’s arm, yanking him out of the room towards, presumably the gift shop.

Pidge rolled her eyes but stood up. “I better go get clothes too. And make sure they don’t destroy anything along the way.” She made her way out the door. “Later losers.”

With just Sam and Keith left in the room, Keith crosses his arms and leaned closer to Sam. “I don’t trust them.”

Sam leaned back and crossed his own arms and lifted a brow. “For what reason? They have been trustworthy so far. They seem pretty honest.” Sam blushed and looked away for a moment. “And one of them is kinda cute.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “There’s something wrong… especially with that Lance kid. I mean, a living, _teenage_ demigod from _Cuba_ with _multiple_ godly powers? It’s unheard of!” Keith glares out the doorway. “Whatever it is they’re hiding, I’ll figure it out.”

********  
  


End of chapter 1


	2. Happy Campers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter includes:  
> -Lance and Hunk, the fashion police  
> -a disagreement at dinner  
> -camp claimings  
> -a bonding moment

“I hate this color.”

“It’s not that bad…”

Lance held up the offending object. The bright orange camp t-shirt that had  _ CHB  _ written on it in a way he would assume that this camp was secretly a sweatshop- forcing kids to write on the shirts with a sharpie. Lance looked at it with disgust, like it had just insulted his mother and then some. Or like he was just told to eat a bucket of worms.

Hunk gave the shirt another shot, looking at it critically. “Okay yeah, the color is kinda horrendous.”

Lance sighed. Even though it looked awful it was clothes and his were basically destroyed. So he slung it over his shoulder and moved over to the jeans. “That’s an understatement.”

Hunk just shook his head with a fond smile. He picked up a tee of his own and joined Lance.

“See if they were something like  _ this color _ -“ Lance held out a light blue wash of denim high waisted skinnies that had a few purposeful holes in them. “I think I could get along fine with it.”

Hunk raised an eyebrow at the pants before going back to check for his own size. “I think those are women’s.”

Lance straightened before looking at the tag. “Right you would be.”

Hunk laughed and plucked his own pair of dark washed straight-legged jeans from the pile. “If you want to keep them though I won’t tattle.” He shrugged in nonchalance. “I know they’re probably one of the few pairs that will fit okay.”

Lance had pink dusking his tan skin. “Thanks Hunk.” He had on a sheepish but thankful smile.

It was that that made Hunk’s heart break a little. He found something he liked and just because of a label Lance was ready to let someone take it away from him. What was his life like before he met Hunk? Hunk couldn’t help but wonder.

A few made up images flashed in his mind of Lance helping his imaginary mom with dinner, or Lance with his imaginary siblings roughhousing. 

Hunk couldn’t keep his curiosity at bay and spared a glance at the Cuban who was sifting through hoodies and jackets.

“It’s way too cold up here in New York,” he complained with a full body shiver backing him up.

It was an opportunity for Hunk to test the waters. “Yeah I bet it was much warmer in Cuba,” he not-so-innocently stated. “What was it like there?”

Luckily for Hunk, Lance fell for the bait. “Well it was a hell of a lot warmer there on Varadero beach. I used to surf and swim with my brothers and sisters there all summer and during the school year.” Lance had a small smile on while reminiscing. “I’d even won some trophies in competitions-“ he stopped himself abruptly. “I guess those days are over though, huh.”

Hunk has always been a sympathetic person and was no different now when he felt sadness creep over him as it did Lance. “I guess so.”

Lance noticed Hunk’s sadness and forced himself to brush off his own in attempt to make his friend feel better. “Doesn’t matter though. I’m sure we’ll learn new things here to.” Lance shifted into his playful cocky attitude. “You might even get to be better than me at something!”

Hunk rolled his eyes but played into it. “No! I could  _ never _ be better than the almighty Lance McClain!”

Lance patted his shoulder in play sympathy. “There, there. I’m sure you’ll become somewhat competent at  _ something _ .”

Hunk scoffed, “Oh shove off!” He gave Lance a push and Lance just laughed.

When the two finished grabbing things for themselves they together looked for things for Pidge.

They basically all got the same thing- a pair of jeans, camp shirt, and hoodie. The only difference between their piles was the color of the hoodie. Hunk’s was yellow, Pidge’s a green, and Lance’s a blue.

The two carried their findings outside the store and went on their search of that gremlin.

“Where the hell did she go?” Lance was turning his head from side to side, scanning in an inefficient way.

“How am I supposed to know?” Hunk took a minute to think. “Do you think she went to her cabin?”

Lance shrugged. “It’s a possibility. We can go check.”

They walked up to the Athena cabin and saw a member sitting on the porch step disgruntled at something on their laptop screen.

The computer suddenly started going off in alarms.

“No, no, no… “ the kid muttered while pressing down seemingly random keys.

Well, at least they were random to Hunk and Lance who couldn't decipher the code on his screen that was moving a mile  minute.

“Ah damn it!” The kid yellen in exasperation, slamming his laptop screen down for good measure, and putting his head in his hands.

Lance reached out a tentative hand to the boy’s shoulder. “You alright?”

The boy looked up confused, he hadn’t noticed his company in his fit earlier. He pushed back his ruddy hair and rubbed his brown eyes with a curled up fist. “Yeah I’m fine, I just couldn’t get past the last firewall in time. “ He sighed. “But I’m gonna try again tomorrow.”

Hunk narrowed his eyes cautiously, “What were you hacking into?”

The boy shrugged. “It’s just the pentagon. No big deal.” He continued while the other two gaped. “I usually can get in but I guess they just updated their systems.”

“Dude,” Lance said with wide eyes of admiration, “That’s  _ so cool!” _

“Yeah man!” Hunk seconded.

The boy gave them a disbelieving eye but shrugged. “Thanks.” He didn’t attempt to soften his jump into another topic. “So what did you guys want, showing up to the Athena cabin?”

Lance snapped his fingers. “Right! We came to see if our friend Pidge is here.” He paused and then remembered his manners. “What’s your name by the way?”

The boy put on his first smile. “Finn.” he stood up in front of the cabin door. “I can give a quick look around for her but I have a feeling she isn’t here.”

Lance crossed his arms and shrugged. “You can give it a shot.”

Finn turned inside his cabin and came back within a few seconds. “I didn’t see her in there. Sorry guys.”

Hunk flicked his wrist in a  _ forget about it, water under the bridge  _ gesture. “Don’t worry about it. She’s bound to turn up at some point.”

Finn looked at his watch. “Probably at dinner right about now.” He looked up. “Unless she’s some sort of sadist who wants to starve.”

Lance sighed. “Yeah no, she’ll be there. Without a doubt.” He thought for a moment. “She might still be a sadist though.”

The boy shook his head in simple understanding like  _ oh yeah we get them all the time here at sunny camp half-blood.  _

The three made their way over to the main hall where the sun was setting just beyond them showcasing the grass’s dew drops. The lights were on in the mess hall. Surprisingly modern considering the faux “old” fashion to the room. 

The mess hall was just like the rest of the camp really. Twelve main tables for the twelve main cabins. And each of them were themed appropriately to the godly parents. There was a fishnet thrown over the Poseidon table. The Zeus table looked like it’d been struck with a lightning bolt, the wood having a zig-zag splinter pattern. The aphrodite table was hot pink like Barbie herself had sprouted from the heavens to bestow this table on these ungrateful children. The Hermes table looked like it belonged in a high school for delinquents with how many things were scribbled all over it. Lance had a feeling that if Allura held meetings here the Hermes kids would talk to each other through the table as she rambled with maybe hangman or tic-tac-toe.

A breeze shifted through the room making Hunk and Lance shiver and leave their observations in favor of finding a seat. Finn had left when they entered, going to sit down at the Athena table.

Hunk let Lance lead the way.  _ Old habits die hard _ .

Lance sat down at the Poseidon tabe after shoving the fishing-net off to the side to put down his sweatshirt. Hunk felt uneasy at the table, staring at it for a good minute before cautiously sitting down. He didn’t mention his discomfort to Lance, hoping his anxieties would die away after a few minutes.

Lance, on the other hand, relaxed in his seat, settling his head down on the table.

“What the  _ hell  _ are you  _ doing? _ !”

The two looked behind Hunk to the voice. 

_ “ _ Oh… hey, Keith.” Lance waved.

Keith looked just about ready to bolt into the void. His back was hunched, defensive and he was tense. “You need to get up right now.” He ordered.

Hunk raised an eyebrow while Lance retaliated, “Dude there’s plenty of seats get over it.”

Keith’s eye twitched. He was already 110% done with this kid. “No you need to get up before you anger the gods. Or anger them any more than you already have.” Keith looked around them like he expected one of them to pop in and give Lance the middle finger for sitting at their table.

Lance watched Keith’s actions with a quizzical brow. “Okay well I think they gods will be fine if I sit at their table but nice try.” He gave a smirk and put his hands on his hips, getting ready to scold Keith how his mama did with him. “It’s not nice to prank the new kids, Mullet.”

Keith was taken back by the nickname. “Mullet. Really?” He crossed his arms. “ _ You _ try getting a haircut after being stuck here for four years.”

Hunk was actually frightened though without Lance’s sass and debunking. That feeling he had since getting in a close proximity of the table was getting worse as he sat there. He pushed back and up. “Lance could we please just move?” He looked around for a place that seemed safer and saw the table with all the gears and buttons on it. “We could sit over there.”

Lance leaned over the table towards his friend, trying to read his emotions. “Are you sure? I think Keith is just messing with us but if you really want me to we can move.”

“Nope.” Keith corrected. “Only Hunk can sit at his parent’s table. You can't since you’re not claimed.” Keith pointed over to a rowdy, loud table where some kind of fight was currently happening. “You have to sit at Hermes table.”

Lance’s nose shriveled in disgust and Hunk’s too, feeling bad for his friend. “I think I’m just gonna stay here.” Lance decided, putting his things back down.

Keith glared at Lance, huffing out a breath of annoyance. And Lance thought that if he were a dragon then fire would have come out of his nostrils. Or smoke. Either or.

“Fine!” Lance complied throwing up his arms in classic dramatic Lance fashion. He made a show of gathering his things up like he was a little kid who was “running away” because they didn’t get dessert. “I’ll go sit somewhere else!”

Lance walked over to the Zeus table and only now Hunk was able to take note of how everyone was staring at them. Everyone was watching Keith and Lance’s squabble. And  _ everyone  _ was watching Lance move from one table he wasn’t supposed to be at to the next (that he also was not supposed to be at either, much to Keith’s dismay).

“Lance!” Keith  _ knew  _ something bad would happen if Lance sat down at Zeus’s table. He wasn’t known for being a forgiving god. He wouldn’t be suppressed if a lightning bolt came down and obliterated the kid. A flash of light and then-whoosh- no more Lance.

Of course everyone else thought the same thing would happen as Lance sat down. So when he did, naturally, every kid screamed bloody murder.

Lance jolted in his seat but not from the almighty god but from the loud screams. It was understandable though when 50 pre-pubescent and pubescent (Lance was sure that one Hemes kid had a voice crack in the middle of his scream…) kids are screaming bloody murder. But once everyone hushed down, realizing he was fine, he relaxed in his seat.

Keith stormed over to this infuriating kid, eyes seeing everything in shades of red. “You DUMBASS!”

Lance pouted, looking down and crossing his arms. “I’m not sure how I like being referred to as the dumbass here,” he muttered.

Keith was at the end of his wits (which weren’t that long to begin with). Typical Ares  _ child _ .

He grabbed the front of Lance’s new, tacky, matching camp tee. Lance came with it, shoulders hunched, trying to alleviate the new tightness in his collar. His hands were contorted at his sides, unsure of how to act in this particular situation. If this was Cuba, if this was Mitchel, he knew it would be better to fight back. The reminder of those kids gave Lance a flash of heat in his body- the physical feeling of a surge of panic that he was all too familiar with now. He took a deep breath in, gasping in air as a coolant to stop his brain from short circuiting. His mouth was drying  in his attempts to ground himself.

So he grounded himself with the pink scar on Keith’s cheek. Like his face was a piece of cake and someone took a piece, realize how awful Keith tasted and put it back, trying to pretend the dange hasn’t already been done, like no one could tell they licked off the top layer of icing. (It reminded him of the time Veronica essentially committed a federal offence on his chocolate, sixth birthday cake.)

Keith shook Lance out of his stupor bringing him back to  _ oh yeah! I’m currently being held bar-fight style! _

“What the HELL is wrong with you!?” Keith was indignant as spit flew from his mouth onto poor Lance, who was currently at his mercy, only a small whimper coming from the rough treatment.

Though Lance was not an Ares kid with a short temper, he was just about done with this particular kid. So he was smug, and a total dick, as he made a show of wiping off Keith’s projectiles. “What’s your problem? I just wanted to come in here and have dinner but apparently this is _ mean girls _ because you won’t let me sit with you… or even alone, or basically anywhere in this godsforesaken cafeteria!” He huffed our frustration and pouted.

Keith started to pull him closer while  _ growling _ .

“Keith! What are you  _ doing?” _

Ah yes. Shiro the hero to the rescue. Whoop.

Keith’s eyes went wide, realizing he was about to get chewed out by his brother for attacking the newby for a second time (that Dionysus kid Aaron totally deserved it though).

Keith let go of Lance’s shirt and you could hear him drop back into the bench. Keith gave a nervous chuckle, roughly smoothing out Lance’s shirt like  _ nothing to see here Shiro! We’re good, go on with your adult stuff and camp stuff and taxes! _

Shiro was still giving him  _ the look  _ and Keith accidentally gave Lance a little  _ too _ hard of a push making him lie down flat on the bench with an “oof!”

“Dude you’re gonna make my concussion worse!” Lance complained. “Could you like, not?”

Shiro walked up to the table and even he seemed uneasy at it. “Could I ask what  _ possibly  _ could be happening?” He crossed his arms and angles at Keith. “Why this is the second camper you’ve had in a chokehold on their first day?”

Keith gave out a harsh bit of air before explaining. “Shiro, he sat at the  _ Poseidon  _ table! And then when I so  _ graciously _ ,” that word came through gritted teeth, “told him he had to move he got up and came here! What idiot goes to the  _ Zeus  _ table when they are obviously  _ not  _ a spawn of that mother-“

There was a warning crackle in the sky that made every camper scream.

“Woah, woah, woah, hey, hey, hey, let’s  _ not  _ finish that statement.” Shiro quickly said, trying to calm down his dumbass brother.

Just then a disheveled Pidge sauntered up to the conflict and put an elbow on Lance’s shoulder which he shoved off because of the new dirt all over her (not that they weren’t still messy from their arrival). “Hey guys, what’s up?”

Hunk groaned into his hand.  _ Great, another person involved in this dumb fight. _

Lance cracked his wrist (he hates cracking his fingers but gets the same satisfaction from his wrists and ankles). “All I know is that I go to sit down at a table and get attacked by Mullet for seemingly  _ no reason _ !”

Hunk gives a blank face to Pidge, “ _ Seemingly.” _

Keith struggles in Shiro’s hold, “I was trying to save your  _ bitch ass  _ from being blown to bits!”

Lance brings his lanky arms to his head, tugging his hair in frustration before flinging them out with reckless abandon. “ _ Why would I be blown to bits?! _ You make no sense! So what if I sit at this table? Zeus doesn’t seem to be offended so why are you?”

There’s a crackle in the sky which makes everyone take a step back from the table.

“Yes, thank you!” Lance yells at the sky.

It’s silent for a minute before Keith shakes his bangs into his face and crosses his arms. “Whatever. If he gets electrocuted don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’m going to go eat.” And with that he slips out towards the buffet table and into line.

Shiro rubs his prosthetic down his face and sighs like he just gained another white hair from the kid (did the rest also come from the insufferable Ares child?). “I’m sorry about Keith, he means well but it doesn’t always come out that way.”

Lance just shrugs. “It’s all good.” He looks pointedly at the tables of food, his mouth is practically drooling. “As long as you hook us up with some of that.”

Shiro chuckles. “You got it.” He waves over a hand in a motion that says,  _ follow me, young ones!  _ “Let’s go get some food.”

The trio follow him without hesitation and Hunk thinks for a brief moment how if his mother were here, she would have chewed him out for following some guy he barely knows.

But she’s not here right now.

The thought saddens him as he fills up a plate.

“Be sure to get enough so that you can put a portion in the offering fire.” Shiro advises, scooping mashed potatoes up and plopping them on his plate with no preamble.

They nod and turn back to their options.

“Eww it’s like snot!” Lance lifts up a serving spoon with some type of green food goo dripping from the end of it. 

Pidge’s eyes widen and she turns green before she’s able to turn away from it. “What the hell is that?”

Hunk, never really the picky one sticks out his finger until a blob sticks. Then he shoves it in his mouth, tasting it like he would do back home when his mom offered him cookie dough, or cake mix, or frosting. He removes his finger from his mouth and shrugs. “It really doesn’t taste like anything.”

Shiro finally realizes what is happening and puts the serving spoon back town into the tray. “Yeah no don’t eat that. That’s Coran’s.” He shakes his head. “He claims that it’s revolutionary because of its nutritional content and because he runs the camp, the food goo stays,” his head flops down and he sighs, shoulders loose, “every gods damned year…”

“That’s rough.” Lance sympathizes and moves on in the line.

By the time they reach the end Hunk has a good assortment of different foods, some non of the others but Shiro could recognize. Pidge went for simple bland foods, mashed potatoes taking up a large portion of her plate. Lance had his plate stacked high with garlic knots, he cleared out the basin as they passed it. Shiro had a salad (what a dad).

The four each grabbed an empty chalice at the end of the table.

“Uh, Shiro, hate to be a rude guest but you know there’s nothing in these.” Pidge grumbled and waved the cup around.

Shiro suddenly brightened and picked up his own cup before explaining. “Well this is actually pretty cool so listen up kiddos-“

“Never call me a kiddo again.” Pidge warned, shoving the cup in Shiro’s face as if it were a dagger and were actually threatening.

It wasn’t.

Shiro shrugged and continued. “Anyway you just think about what you want and the glass will fill itself.” He held his out in demonstration, and the glass soon filled with Diet Coke. “See.” He took a smug sip.

Hunk concentrated on wanting water. Stock photos of glasses of water went through his mind like movie film. And sure enough, the clear substance was there, reflecting those brown eyes back at him.

Pidge concentrated on a cherry soda that she would sneak from her mom when she was younger. She could envision her mom taking the two liter back from her grubby little two year old hands. And then baby Pidge would cry until her mom came back and adjusted the glasses she had stolen from her brother and then picked her up to settle in the warmth of her arms, chest, and breath. The glass filled and a stray tear mixed with the pink liquid.

At first Lance was testing a theory that he ended up proving right. The glass had age restrictions. No matter how hard he tried, Merlot refused to fill the chalice. But no matter. He thought about apple juice and the tang it would leave on his tongue. How that was the last thing he had that fateful day nearly two years ago. He sat on Varadero beach with a juice box and sunglasses watching the sunset next to his sister. Rachel wore her favorite bikini that had a bunch of baby pink ruffles, not that it was important to the memory, but it stuck out in his brain. Maybe it was because he was wearing his baby blue swim shorts that the two twins picked out at that department store nearly a week before.

_ “I can’t wait until it’s officially the summer.” _ She confided, straightening her beach towel.

Lance just shrugged and took another sip of his juice box.

_ “We can go swimming, and surfing, and we can brush up on our english more for the Garrison,”  _ she flopped back on her towel, “ _ We just have to wait for my acceptance letter, since yours came in like a month ago.” _

Lance crushed up the now empty juice box and put it down next to him. “ _ You’ll get it. They would be idiots to not let you in. And then the McClain twins can cause complete and utter chaos,”  _ he shrugged, “ _ That’s just the way these things work.” _

Rachel sat up and hunched in on herself, knees to her chest and head on her knees, a troubled look on her face. She looked down at the sand and with her arm that wasn’t wrapped around her legs drew idle circles. “ _ Hey, Lance? Have you ever wondered about our birth parents?” _

Lance scrunched up his nose and repositioned himself to face his sister better.  _ “I mean, not really, Rachel. I mean they kinda just abandoned us, two babies. Why, what’s troubling you about it?” _

She bit her lip. “ _ Well I may have figured out something about our parentage. And they actually kept us safe, contrary to what we want to believe.” _

Lance cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward. “ _ Enlighten me?”  _ He took her hand and stopped it’s repetitive motions, making her finally look up at him.

_ “I don’t know too much about it but that we aren’t normal…”  _ she paused and narrowed her eyes at him, “ _ and not in the joking way like ‘yeah my obsession with NASA is not normal’.” _

_ “Does this have to do with what happened at the market the other day?” _

Lance didn’t realize it at the moment but that was his first memorable encounter with monsters. Three ladies with scissors and a piece of thread cornered him and his sister and were making a show of cutting the thread. His mama noticed and steered them away from  _ that  _ situation rather quickly.

She ran a hand through her wet locks, pulling her fingers out when she reached her shoulders because the rest was tangled from salt water. “ _ Well yeah. But not just that incident. There were other times where we ran into weird things. I did some research and all the monsters are Greek.” _

Lance tilted his head. “ _ I still don’t understand.” _

Suddenly the ground shook…

“Apple juice? Really, Lance?” Pidge flicked the glass.

Lance jumped, he got lost in his memories for a minute there.

Shiro gave him a look of understanding while his friends just gave him a raised eyebrow.

“You okay buddy?” Hunk put a steady hand on his shoulder. “You weren’t here for a minute.”

Lance shrugged and motioned for them to go sit at a table, “Yeah I’m fine. ADHD am I right?”

Everyone laughed, moving on to the next topic.

“So about seats…” Shiro wavered. “I would ask for you guys to sit at your parent’s tables, meaning Pidge at Athena, and Hunk at Hephaestus. But if you guys ask permission in the sacrificial fire then the three of you can sit at the same table.”

Pidge scoffed, “Like a permission slip?” She took a sip of her soda.

“Cool!” Lance said, “Just point is in the direction of the next sacrificial fire.”

Shiro led them to the very obvious fire in the center of the room that they really didn’t need to be pointed to to find.

“Let’s do Athena tonight.” Pidge said while plucking out a noodle for the fire.

Hunk pushed some mashed potatoes off of his tray and Lance grudgingly gave over a garlic knot.

The fire turned grey for a minute before settling into an orange glow.

“Cool, my mom said okay.” Pidge joked.

Lance rolled his eyes but waved goodbye for the three as they abandoned Shiro to do his own sacrificing. When they reached the Athena table he spoke up, drawing the poor kid away from his textbook, “Hey Finn!”

Finn smiled, “Hey Hunk, hey Lance! What brings you to the Athena table?”

Once they had all put down their drinks and trays Lance mussed up Pidge’s pixie cut, “A gremlin.”

She scowled.

He ignored it in favor of a garlic knot.

Finn quirked an eyebrow to Hunk, and Hunk mouthed  _ you get used to it _ to the kid.

As the faux siblings fought Hunk became curious. He may not be a child of Athena but it was known to happen, for you know, safety reasons. “Hey Finn, could you just give like a rundown of the camp? Who should I try to keep us from not pissing off, since we already pissed off an Ares kid.”

Finn ate a fry and dog-eared his page. “Oh Keith? Well most Ares kids are all bark no bite except that one. But Shiro can always tame him. They’re like…  _ sorta brothers?  _ I don’t know how to explain it,” he chuckled,”which is a lot coming from an Athena spawn.”

“Okay so the one kid that  _ can  _ hurt us is the one we pissed off.” Hunk slumped over a little. “Great.”

Finn shrugged nonchalantly, “Well every cabin has strengths and weaknesses. Watch out for Hermes kids because they’re tricksters. Especially Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer… that trio can give you a run for your money,” he paused, “literally.”

There was a shriek from Lance, which made the two pause their conversation to address the chaotic duo.

“You bitch!” Lance said dramatically, putting a hand on his chest in even more of a dramatic fashion. “This is one of the top 10 anime betrayals of all time! I can’t  _ believe  _ you!”

Pidge groaned and tugged on her eyes beneath her glasses. “All I did was take a garlic knot, you have like thirty on your plate!”

Lance ignored her, “E tu Gremlin?”

Pidge promptly slammed her head into the table in frustration.

It satisfied Hunk enough to turn back to his one-on-one with Finn. “Okay, who else?”

Finn took a moment to mumble under his breath as he mentally went through the camp. He couldn’t single any kid out. Well, actually, ”There’s Lotor.”

“What’s he like?” Hunk asked after swallowing another fork full of food.

Finn hunched over, as if it hid the conversation from being heard by other ears. “He’s another Hermes kid but he’s not like the others. And he hangs out with three Ares kids who are actually dangerous.” He caught himself, “Well Axca is a Mars Kid but that’s actually worse.” He scoffed and pushed an unidentifiable lump of food on this tray with a spoon. “Mars kids can rival Athena kids. I guess that’s why Shiro’s a favorite.”

Hunk chuckled. “Wait Shiro is a Mars kid?” 

“Yessir.”

“I wouldn’t have figured it if you didn’t tell me.” Hunk admitted.

“Well yeah he’s tamer since he’s come back from the mission that took his arm. But I hear it was brutal out there.” The two spared a glance over at the man of the minute, seeing him scold Keith who was rolling his eyes, which made Shiro get more frustrated, until his prosthetic smacked his face and dragged on the skin. “He got the nickname  _ the champion _ but no one asks why. I think it’s better that way, he’s found a semi balance of peace.”

Hunk nodded safely as they turned their attentions away from Shiro towards…

“What the hell guys? I don’t watch for like two minutes and you decivilize?” Hunk scolded, with a hand on the hip.

Pidge just smiled while Lance continued to struggle. Struggle from what(one may ask)? Her headlock and makeshift gag on him (what was that? A napkin?).

Lance spit out the thing. “Hunk! Love of my life! Help me!”

Finn snorted across the bench.

Hunk groaned but never less, untangled Pidge’s arms from his neck. “Do I need to separate you two?”

“Yes-“

“No-“

Cue them glaring at each other. (Intensely.)

Hunk deadpanned to Finn. “Feel like adopting two five year olds?” With Finn’s skeptical look he added on: “They’re potty trained.”

Finn gave a good hearty laugh before declining and going back to his food. By the time the four finished their plates it was dark outside and the artificial lights in the mess hall were unflattering against their skin (Lance considered that an important detail).

“Campers!” A yell came from the entrance.

Oh hey look! It’s Coran!

“Please go to the campfire tonight for claiming in an  _ orderly-“ _

He didn’t finish before a wave of kids  _ surged _ out the doors like it was Black Friday and the campfire was a Walmart in a very  _ unorderly  _ fashion.

“Or don’t listen to the gorgeous man with the mustache, that’s fine too.” Coran mumbled in the doorway.

Lance felt his heart ache for the man and got up to go console him and make a conversation (and maybe a friend if he were lucky, which he was. It’s very easy to gain companionship in the man.).

The few people left also got up to leave, in an orderly group together. While at dinner the four were stuck in their own word of believing they were the only people alive for a fleeting moment, they realized they weren’t when Shiro, Keith and Allura caught up with them.

Keith refuses to look at the newbies beside him, instead glaring at the one chatting it up with Coran a few feet in front and away from them. Shiro tried nudging his shoulder to get him to  _ knock it off kid,  _ but you would have thought that Keith was the one with a prosthetic with how unresponsive his nerve endings were (or maybe Keith knew but ultimately decided in his brain to ignore the feeling.).

Allura visibly swallowed and tugged on her collar before speaking. “How are you all settling in?” She pointed to them, “I see you’ve found the camp store and picked up new clothes.”

“Yeah well the other ones were sorta, you know,  _ destroyed in battle _ but it’s cool.” Pidge said with a signature shrug of the shoulders.

Allura laughed politely, so it sounded much to forced and nervous and fake. “Well I suppose that does show a need for new apparel. I recommend hitting the showers before bed too, just to get the grime off from your time on the run.”

Pidge barely reacts. “Okay.”

“Just let Shiro, Coran, or I know if you need anything.” She offered.

“Okay.” Pidge sounded bored.

“ _Anything_ _at all_ , just let me know.” She fluttered her eyelashes and smiled so hard her jaw is going to ache later.

“Got it the first time.”

Allura deflated and rolled her eyes to Shiro who just shrugged it off in a  _ eh, what are you gonna do?  _ kind of way.

They finally reached the fire. It was more of a big bonfire, and kids occasionally just threw in branches or wood to keep it going. Allura was a little bit excited. Usually kids get claimed the night they come at the campfire, with the glow and symbol above their head and, well, magic.

She remembers her own claiming vividly. The grey glow that surrounded her, the olive branch above her, and the small way she held a dagger in one hand but a book in the other. The book turned out to be interesting— space travel and possible technologies out there. Her favorite was healing pods. They would be  _ very _ appreciated if they existed here. (And they would give the poor Apollo kids a break).

The campers are all chit chatting quietly to one another when they walk up, excluding Ares and Hermes kids. Coran rejoins Allura and the three of them (Shiro, Coran, and her) sit on a bench together.

Meanwhile she can see Lance, Hunk and Pidge sit down on the next bench over. Lance and Hunk chatter while Pidge surveys the area. They’re a funny group, but she wouldn’t doubt their ability.

Then something interesting happens. Keith walks up to them. Lance tries a friendly wave but Keith ignores it and sits down next to him without a word, arms still crossed. Lance looks at him with an inquisitive eyebrow before rolling his eyes and turning back to talk to Hunk. Keith watches them from the corner of his eyes, keeping his head still. If Lance and Hunk see it they don’t say anything about it or have body language that screams  _ I’m uncomfortable with you staring at me so would you please stop like right now _ .

“Hey look,” Allura draws Shiro’s attention. “Looks like Keith made a friend.”

Shiro’s eyes widen comically at Keith. “What is he  _ doing _ ? He was in a screaming match with that kid earlier!”

Allura gave them a second look over in curiosity, “Really?”

“Yes and I swear on the river styx, if he so much as-“

Allura covers his mouth with her hand. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep Shiro.” She took her hand back. “Especially on the river Styx.”

He groaned in response, shoving his palms in his eye sockets until he saw stars.

Allura laughs lightly at him until a clap and a “ _ Hey campers”  _ draws her attention to Sam who’s standing in front of the fire with his guitar.

“Welcome to yet another famed CHB campfire campers!” He announces. There’s a few claps and whistles but not enough to make him pause and wait. “Tonight we have three new campers,” he gestures to Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. “And at this moment we ask and will appreciate appreciate if they can get confirmation from their parents at some point tonight before we have to kill the fire.” He adjusted his guitar into playing position. “Until then, we’re just gonna jam out to the classics,” a giggle escaped him at the pun. “Let’s take it away fellow Apollo spawn!”

And the singing then commenced, began by the angelic voices of the Apollo kids, soon followed by the gruff voices of Ares kids, sweet sounds from Aphrodite kids, precise notes from Athena kids, the raspy voices of Hephaestus kids, and so on, until the entire camp was singing along.

Allura smiled as she sang and glanced over to the newbies. Where Hunk and Lance serenaded each other while Pidge rapped her foot on the ground, going along to the music without singing.

Then a grey light emitted from the girl. 

Lance screamed and fell back on Keith who surprisingly caught him before he fell. Keith, who had already seen claimings decided to instead direct wide eyes to the Lance on his lap. Lance, who had  _ not  _ seen claimings directed  _ his _ attention to Pidge.

Above her head was and olive branch emblem.

_ A child of Athena _ .

Pidge was wide eyed at herself with her bayard on one hand and a laptop in her other. She muttered to herself in confusion. “The  _ fuck?” _

The rest of the campers gave bored but polite claps as the glow dimmed out and it was just left with Pidge and her gifts from mom.

She shrugged and sank back to her seat, Hunk giving her a clap on the back.

Everyone was able to settle for a good, long, thirty seconds before Hunk was engulfed in an orange glow, with Hephaestus’s emblem above his head.

Lance was now clinging to Keith in his shock. Arms around the Asian boy’s neck. Keith seemed to be not processing anything, his entire body flushed pink and not from the heat of the fire.

“Great.” Shiro mumbled. “My dumbass brother has a  _ crush _ .”

Allura laughed at his disappointment. She thought it was cute (Keith and Lance that is, not Shiro).

Hunk’s glow faded and eventually the campers went back to singing.

Allura couldn’t help but be disappointed. She was hoping Lance’s parent would have claimed him tonight. Then she can move on and stop stressing. The two most likely options were Aphrodite and Poseidon. And both options were equally as bad. She knew better than other demigods. Though Aphrodite wasn’t one of the big three, she was still a force to be reckoned with. And therefore, her children were too.

Soon the fire started to die out, and campers were nodding off on each other. Sam set his guitar down and looked to Coran for approval to send them off to their cabins.

Coran was already snoring loudly from Shiro’s shoulder, much to Shiro’s dismay.

Sam took that as a  _ good enough _ and cupped his hands, taking in a deep, audible breath. “Well campers, that’s all we have for tonight! Curfew is in like,  _ ten minutes?”  _ He shrugged. “I don’t know guys just get to your cabins and go sleep.”

There’s a general mumble of agreement from the crowd before is starts to dissolve, only a few chatty campers left.

Allura and Shiro stand up and begin to leave, but they give it second thought by the snickering across the way.

They walk over to see Pidge doubled over snickering and Hunk with a hand dragging at his skin down his face.

And then there’s Keith and Lance. Lance is peacefully sleeping, cuddled into Keith’s side. And Keith is looking stressed out of his mind, all the blood in his body allocated to his ears, face, and neck.

“Help!” He frantically whispers while trying to keep the boy on him from falling to the ground.

Shiro snorts. “Maybe you should just carry him to the Apollo cabin where he’s staying.”

Keith’s face scrunches up, showing his dislike of the idea. “Or Hunk can take him. I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve carried his lazy ass around.”

“ _ Language-” _

“Shut up Takashi.” Keith groans.

Hunk slumps his shoulders. “If I pick him up he’ll wake up and you do  _ not,”  _ he stresses, “ want to see a Lance who has been disturbed from his slumber.”

Pidge clapps Keith on the shoulder. “Sorry buddy, you can't pick  the Lance, it picks you. And it looks like you’re tonight’s victim.”

Despite her words she brushed back a chocolate curl from Lance’s forehead in an almost motherly manner.

Keith groaned, realizing there was really no way out of this. So he shifted the boy into his arms bridal style and headed towards the Apollo cabin, but not before saying a  _ ‘fuck you guys’ _ over his shoulder.

There was no one in the infirmary when he walked in.

He balanced Lance on him as he was attempting to flick on the light. Key word:attempt. He couldn’t get it and grumbled under his breath about the unfairness of his situation before setting Lance down on one of the cots.

No matter how much he disliked the kid, he wasn’t cruel. So he arranged Lance comfortably and pulled up his blanket.

Keith gave him a final glance over and he hated how his heart seemed to seize. Lance was laying on his side, arms pulled together in front of him, hair all mussed up, and drool coming out of his mouth on the pillow.

_ Cute. _

Keith actually gave himself a little slap in the face to ignore  _ that  _ arising issue.

He turned and walked out the door of the infirmary.

Well that’s what he wished happened. That nothing happened. But that would be a lie.

Because when Keith was about to leave a pink glow filled the room and Keith’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. And it didn’t help when he turned around to see a dove holding a rose in its beak.

_ Aphrodite. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I know it's been a while but this chapter took a while okay? now enjoy your fifteen pages.
> 
> (ill try to update as soon as possible with the next chapter, things are going all downhill from here.)

**Author's Note:**

> sorry but idk how often ill be posting … k cool bye


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